Friday, 27 September 2013

Ready, Steady, Bake!

It can all start with a simple Victoria sponge...

When I was child my Nan
would always bake me a birthday cake which would be the centre piece
of my birthday party tea. I remember the shocking pink ballerina cake
which was a construction worthy of an architectural award. On
Christmas Eve there would be a mad midnight making of royal icing in
order to form the perfect snowy peaks on the rich fruit cake. This
would be accessorized with toppers dating from when my Mum and Uncle
were children.

Cake decorations from across the years.

For school fairs there would
be the chocolate loaf cakes topped with chocolate ganache, glacé
cherries and walnuts. I have never found the recipe for this
wonderful treat. The most controversial bake my Nan was famous for
was the jam butties she made especially for day trips and holidays.
Shortcrust pastry filled with jam with pastry lid – what's not to
like? Apparently I was the only member of the family who liked them.

Always a favourite of mine - homemade pastry treats.

By the time I had left for
university I had already amassed a number of recipes to take with
me only to find upon my arrival at the halls of residence that the
kitchens contained no ovens, just a hob and a microwave. It seems
that the students were rather forgetful about turning off the ovens
which resulted in a number of blow-outs. Three years of living in
halls and I never got near an oven once.

The original university recipe folder with microwave pudding instructions.

So why all this nostalgia?
It seems many of have fallen for the simple pleasure of home baking
inspired by BBC2's Great British Bake Off. Now
in its fourth series each week over 5 million viewers tune in to the
watch the contestants battle it through their signature bakes,
technical challenges and show-stoppers while risking disaster
through under-proving bread or the dreaded soggy bottom.

We can't get enough of The Great British Bake Off, its judges and winners.

Once
you've gathered together a selection of tins and utensils home baking
becomes far cheaper than buying massed produced shop products. If you
are going to make some gorgeous looking cakes you may as well use some
great looking accessories and storage. For that essential retro feel
check out Tala's
1960's inspired vintage range. With such pretty styling you won't be
wanting to push them to the back of the kitchen cupboard.

You can find these Tala products plus more on the Handy Household website. Images used with permission of Handy Household.

Cooking
from scratch means you know exactly what is going into yourrecipe. Cupcakes can be made from just the four basic ingredients
of sugar, flour, butter and eggs. Adding your own flavourings is all
part of the pleasure in both the creating and eating. Shopping for
clothes may give you an thrill but the same can't be said for buying
a packet of long-dated cake slices. It's no surprise that an old
estate agents' trick to make your house seem more homely and
therefore more sell-able is to have your home smelling of baking.

One of the best smells in the world! Freshly baked bread.

So are
you new to baking, starting over after a long break or is it
something that you have always done? One thing's for sure – it's
time to bake!

This is a sponsored post
on behalf of Handy
Household. The views, words and opinions are my own.

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